Stamped Concrete vs Interlocking Pavers

[dickfoster]

I'm considering redoing my driveway with stamped concrete so that I don't have to mess with the weeds that grow up through pavers. My questions are: (1) can stamped concrete be maintained relatively crack free and if so what goes into the base and concrete to make it that way, (2) do interlocking pavers also restrict weed growth in the spaces between the pavers, and (3) what are the cost per sq ft for stamped concrete and interlocking pavers if done by a professional? Any pros and cons for either? My reference point is that I did our driveway with bricks over 21 yrs ago has sunken in spots and we fight weeds all the time...no I don't do herbicide. Thanks for feedback and suggestions.......Gary

Last summer I had some walkways, a front porch and a front patio done in stamped and stained concrete. The front steps were hand carved to look like stone. I'm a big fan of stamped concrete as it's not much more than regular flat work. It's not very complicated as all they do is lay rubber pads with the pattern you want on top of the concrete after it's set then tamp it down to transfer the pattern. We went with natural stone. You can stamp concrete to look like almost anything and with stain it looks very much like what you're trying to duplicate. Many concrete outfits do it so it's not hard to find a local pro in most areas. Yes like normal flat work regular control joints were also cut into the concrete after it was poured to minimize any cracking. You can even stamp it to look like pavers if you want, or natural stone or bricks, or whatever comes to mine. Overall it's probably easier than doing a proper job with pavers and there won't be any weeds. Curved winding walkways, radiused corners etc. are all easy to do to.

 

[EddieWalker]

Love it when an old thread comes back to life!!!

I've found the cost to have concrete stamped to be extremely high. Prohibitively so when I looked into it. I've also found that to do pavers correctly and get enough base material down, pavers are even more expensive, but easily done on your own if you have a strong back and a lot of free time. Clients have gone with pavers as accents to concrete along the edge near the house, and that looks good. And other clients have gone with real rock across their driveway every 20 feet or so, that also looks nice. If I ever had the money, I would just keep it simple and go with regular concrete and a lot of rebar.

For my porches, I'm going to pour concrete and tile over them. I love tile, it do it for a living, so it's a natural choice for me.

 

[Rustyiron]

There are two kinds of concrete out there, the kind that is cracked... and the kind that is going to crack. That's it...

:laughing: I have both of them.

 

[Citydude]

There are two kinds of concrete out there, the kind that is cracked... and the kind that is going to crack. That's it...

Actually, there are three kinds. The cracked, the soon to be cracked and the heaved.

 

[tomplum]

For me the main choice would be made on what is needed to manage the water. We made a stamped 30' x 15' round front , three color patio our selves actually and is beautiful years later. In the new house we will be doing another curved closer to 70' version , but this time out of pavers. It would be easier and cheaper to do this in stamped. We really need to manage the water due to the location. We've built quite a bit of paver pathways at the old place too. Weeds we don't get too upset about, but you can manage them with either a weed torch or hot water on these hard surfaces. I know a guy who had brought old building bricks half way across the country, chipped off the old mortar and made a beautiful driveway in front of his Cape Cod style house. So your house and yard style may play into this as well.